Best Online Latin Food Stores

High cost of city living aside, one of the distinct advantages to being an urban foodie is the wealth of specialty grocery stores. For those who live in more far-flung locales, the increasing multiculturalization of major supermarket chains is a welcome development, though key ingredients can still be difficult to find. Latin food enthusiasts who are in a bit of a geographic bind can opt to conveniently browse through a number of first-rate online Latin food stores. Here are the ten most popular.

Latin Merchant

One of the better known Latin food sites, Latin Merchant offers customers a seriously impressive variety of coffees, teas, yerba mates, beverages, flours and grains, herbs and spices, condiments, sauces, preserved fruits and vegetables, oils and vinegars, and desserts. Minimum shipping and handling fees are $6.25 for UPS Ground, and $15.00 for 2nd Day delivery.

Amigo Foods

This site is thoughtfully laid out, with all of the products categorized by country of origin, for quick and easy access to specialized ingredients.  Customers have an overwhelming number of choices with Amigo Foods, everything from specialty meats and cheeses to dried goods to spices, making the categorization system all the more handy.

Mama Tina’s

Mama Tina’s has been making and selling quality Peruvian foods and ingredients since 1996. While the selection at this site is much smaller, the ingredients are no less essential to Peruvian cooking. A nice selection of pastas is available (e.g. Amarillo, Panca, Rocoto), as are grains, beans, flours and coffees. Mama Tina’s ships orders Priority Mail within 24 hours.

Ecuadorian Food Delivery

For specific Ecuadorian ingredients, it’s hard to do better than the Ecuadorian Food Delivery online store. A hearty selection of plantain soups and dumplings, empanadas, croquettes, tortillas, tostones, tamales, yucca breads, and frozen fruit pulps can be found here. Flat fee rates for ground shipping to states west of the Mississippi range from $14 to $20. Residents of Western states may need to pay a significantly higher $70 shipping rate for air delivery.

As with Amigo Foods, My Latin Food breaks down their goods by country. In this case, the five regions represented are Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The majority of the goods sold here are flours, cookies, preserves, coffees and teas, powdered beverage mixes and grains. Shipping is calculated according to the weight of the order.

Alegro Foods

Convenient one-stop shopping for Mexican ingredients, Alegro Foods’ assortment of dried and canned foods, bakery items, beverages, flours, spices, marinades, soups, cookies and candy gives Mexican cooks plenty of options. Cuisine-specific cooking utensils are also sold through Alegro Foods. Shipping rates are based on your order total.

La Tienda

A fantastic source for Spanish ingredients, La Tienda has been in business since 1996, and is one of the more professionally run online stores. Many types of jamón (ham) are sold through La Tienda, in addition to chorizo and other sausages, bonito tuna, cheeses, olives, olives oils and vinegars, spices and sauces, paélla ingredients and cooking utensils, wines and sangrias, and sweets. Highly recommended for the at-home Spanish cook.

Cuban Food Market

It’s easy to get sidetracked by the non-food items offered through this site (e.g. guayabera shirts, music, games, decorations, etc), but it’s the groceries available at Cuban Food Market that will bring foodies back again and again. Cuban bread (shipped in a yute bag!), pastries, coffees, turrones, meats, seafood, spices, sauces and frozen goods are just part of what can be had here.